[Westwales] Linux with XP

[Pax]

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:51:50 +0100
Dick Bain <dick at towy71.uklinux.net> wrote:

> Pax wrote:
> 
> >Hi
> >
> >I've just got a job teaching IT at an English Language College in Bournemouth.
> >The machines all run XP and are badly infected with ad-ware etc. I've got full
> >admin privileges and would like to dual boot with Linux because all the compilers
> >are free, and I know what I'm doing with Linux, and I really can't cope with
> >Windows. However, I don't want to try installing Linux and then mash the machines
> >and have to go to the SysAdmin (outsourced) and ask him, redfaced, to re-install XP
> >on the machines I've graunched. Soooooo, on a scale of 1 to ohshitohshitohshit! How
> >safe is it to install, frinstance, Mandriva, with XP? Answers before eight O'clock
> >to-morrow morning would be nice (I live on the edge!)
> >
> >  
> >
> I would say that Mandriva is fine to run alongside XP, just make sure 
> that you run defrag before trying to shrink XP partitions.
> There are of course the live distros Knoppix, Mandriva  one, ubuntu 
> etc., but if you are comfortable with Mandriva use that.
> And as someone just posted you must have access to the XP cds and 
> licences so you can always re-install yourself.
> Dick
> 

Wow!
	Trust West Wales to come up with the goods! Many thanks for the many replies.
I'm an old hand at dual install, I was asking the question because I heard that there
were problems with XP dual boots in the early days and I didn't want egg all over my
face if I wiped XP off a machine, never having dual booted with anything later than '98. 
The reason I am thinking of using Mandriva is because my early experience of diskdrake 
suggests that is the easiest way of resizing and partitioning. Once I've got the drive
repartitioned I'll swap to Debian (how can anybody live without apt?).

Defrag? Do I really, really have to? I can choose a machine with 70% free space. I started
defragging one machine this morning and it looked as though it was going to take all day.
How long should defrag take on a 50 gig hard drive with 30% usage? Do I really, really have to?

Much Thanks for the Splendid Response

Bernard